TuSimple, an autonomous truck manufacturer, has partnered with fleet management solutions provider Ryder System to utilize Ryder’s selected fleet maintenance facilities as terminals for the nationwide expansion of TuSimple’s Autonomous Freight Network (AFN;  shippers willing to add autonomous trucking logistics to their operations). The partnership reportedly marks an industry first.

Initially, the companies will utilize Ryder’s Southern US facilities, with the potential to scale operations to include more than 500 of Ryder’s maintenance facilities nationwide. TuSimple expects to expand operations to the East Coast later this year, using Ryder infrastructure to carry freight between Phoenix, Arizona, and Orlando, Florida. This would eliminate the need to build new facilities, enabling the company to scale across the country quickly. The facilities will have the capacity to accommodate multiple heavy-duty trucks and trailers 24/7.

The news comes just one month after the company announced opening a new facility in Dallas-Fort Worth to expand its AFN. The new terminal extends TuSimple’s operations to east Texas to include the Texas Triangle of Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Austin.

TuSimple outfits trucks with various sensors and processing units, converting them into Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Level-4 autonomous trucks (i.e., fully autonomous vehicles limited to specific locations and/or conditions). Its technology uses artificial intelligence (AI), LiDAR, radar, and an HD camera system. Its autonomous trucks were built in partnership with truck OEMs Navistar and TRATON (a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group). Currently, TuSimple has operations in the US (Arizona and Texas), Europe, and China.